The Counselor

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2Yahweh’s Spirit will rest on him: the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and of the fear of Yahweh. Isaiah 11:2

16I will pray to the Father, and he will give you another Counselor, that he may be with you forever,— 17the Spirit of truth, whom the world can’t receive; for it doesn’t see him, neither knows him. You know him, for he lives with you, and will be in you. 26But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things, and will remind you of all that I said to you. John 14:16,17,26

One of the main areas of service in which the Holy Spirit is known to us is by that of counseling us. The Greek word translated "counselor" is also translated "comforter."

The word (παρακλητον) comes from two Greek words: "for" and "to call." Thus, we have the picture of one who is summoned on behalf of another, one who comes along side of us—this vividly portrays the role of a lawyer, or one who represents another. He gives advice, makes sure the one he represents is not treated unlawfully, and helps the person prove their case. Acting in such a way could be seen as one who comforts, and therefore both "comforter" and "counselor" can be inferred from the Greek, and thus, both indeed apply to the Spirit.

We also see that the Holy Spirit is named "the Spirit of counsel" Who was to (and did) descend upon the Christ. Truly, the Spirit knows all things, and it is only He Who can counsel us, and not the other way around:

13Who has directed Yahweh’s Spirit, or has taught him as his counselor? 14Who did he take counsel with, and who instructed him, and taught him in the path of justice, and taught him knowledge, and showed him the way of understanding? Isaiah 40:13,14

How does the Spirit of God counsel us? He does so by His many manifestations among us—He speaks to us through physical manifestations so that we are able to see His work among us, as well as share it with others. One of the facets of the Lord Jesus's ministry was "to comfort all that mourn" (Isaiah 61:2) or "to deliver all those who are crushed" (Luke 4:18). The Christ also said during His ministry that after He left, another Comforter just like Himself would come. Therefore, we can see that the Lord's ministry is carried on by the Holy Spirit, Who has been sent from the Father through His Son.

How & What the Spirit Counsels

7He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the assemblies. To him who overcomes I will give to eat from the tree of life, which is in the Paradise of my God. Revelation 2:7

The Holy Spirit brings the words of our Lord Jesus to the Assembly, both as a whole, and in the individual congregations. As promised, "He will teach [us] all things, bringing to remembrance all that [Jesus] said to [us]" (John 14:26). Thus, when the Spirit speaks, it is the Lord Jesus speaking; and when the Lord Jesus speaks, it is the Almighty Father speaking, because,

48He who rejects me, and doesn’t receive my sayings, has one who judges him. The word that I spoke, the same will judge him in the last day. 49For I spoke not from myself, but the Father who sent me, he gave me a commandment, what I should say, and what I should speak. 50I know that his commandment is eternal life. The things therefore which I speak, even as the Father has said to me, so I speak.” John 12:48-50

The Spirit of counsel comes to bring us knowledge, wisdom and understanding. As noted above, the word "counselor" in Greek has the image of a legal representative—one who fully knows the law and advises his person in that area. It is no surprise that God tells us it is only by living in or with the Spirit that we can fulfill the ordinance of the Law. God's Son condemned sin in the flesh, "that the ordinance of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit" (Romans 8:4). The flesh is continually warring against the spirit, and the spirit against the flesh (Galatians 5:17). When we walk in the power of the Spirit of God, letting Him empower us, then "we absolutely won't carry out the lust of the flesh" (Galatians 5:16). Without the Spirit, it is impossible to obey God's Law, for the fleshly mind is not subject to it, nor can it be (Romans 8:7-8). Thus it is only when one walks in the Spirit that they are able to to please God (Romans 8:9).

19Now the deeds of the flesh are obvious, which are: adultery, sexual immorality, uncleanness, lustfulness, 20idolatry, sorcery, hatred, strife, jealousies, outbursts of anger, rivalries, divisions, heresies, 21envy, murders, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these; of which I forewarn you, even as I also forewarned you, that those who practice such things will not inherit God’s Kingdom. Galatians 5:19-21

All of these works are specifically condemned in the Law of Moses. Thus, we see the overall connection Paul is making. When we live under the Law (Galatians 5:18), it is constantly condemning us for all the sins we are committing. We're not able to do the righteousness of the Law when we live in the natural, and try to accomplish what it requires by our own strength. But when we choose to walk in the Spirit, we are supernaturally enabled to fulfill the ordinance of the Law—such is the grace of God. When we give up trying to fulfill God's Law, then God's Spirit takes over and enables us to accomplish its spiritual requirement! HalleluYah!

Thus, as our Counselor, the Holy Spirit teaches us what is right and wrong; He shows us the paths of our Lord Yahweh, and enables us to walk in them continually. When we let Him guide us and show us each step, we are no longer full of anxiety over our past mistakes, how we are going to deal with the present situation, or whether we can face tomorrow—we now walk by trusting our God to lead us as our Shepherd (Psalms Chapter 23). For day-to-day living and being preserved unto the Coming of our Lord, we need no one except the Holy Spirit:

27As for you, the anointing which you received from him remains in you, and you don’t need for anyone to teach you. But as his anointing teaches you concerning all things, and is true, and is no lie, and even as it taught you, you will remain in him. 28Now, little children, remain in him, that when he appears, we may have boldness, and not be ashamed before him at his coming. 1 John 2:27,28

At least three of the nine manifestations of the Holy Spirit show Him as Counselor: the word of knowledge, word of wisdom, and discerning of spirits. When He manifests Himself among us in these ways, He shows Himself to be One who gives us information we don't have. He brings the words of our Lord back to our memory, and teaches us all things. He gives us knowledge for our ignorance, wisdom for our foolishness, and understanding for our lack of insight.

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The Good Message

As you read this site, you will hopefully come to know Yahweh more fully.

But all of this continuing knowledge is useless unless and until you come into union with Him. I use the word union because it is truly a marriage. It is that deep connection we all seek, for which we most often look in other people. However, the truth is that our hearts will only be fulfilled when we enter that union in fullness with the One Who made us.

This is the grace of God, that He has not stayed distant for us only to worship as Creator. But He has come unto us, even become one of us—in His Son, Christ Jesus—in order to share an intimate union with us. He desires such closeness that it truly will envelope our entire life, transforming us into something new and wonderful.

You may have already entered this union with Him and only seek to know Him better through reading here. But if you have not, as you do read, let this Gospel sink into your heart as you read it now.

God loves you, and has cast your sins into the sea. He has sent His only Son as the Savior of the world—that includes you.

That Son, Jesus Christ, was born as a man through a virgin who had given her life to Yahweh; He lived without sin, reflected the glory of His Father, God, in all His words and deeds, and was persecuted even unto death because of it.

His death upon a cross was the powerful explosion that separated you from your life of death. It remains for you, now, to enter into that death with Him. As you die to the one you are now, a person separated from God from your many sins, you will be born anew, with a nature predisposed to live rightly. This gift is free to you, with nothing you can do to earn it. It is the mercy of God to offer it to you, as He loves you so much! All you must do is receive it by trusting Him to have delivered you. Simply place your life in His hands and embrace the freedom that came through that death on the cross.

The Gospel is that Jesus did not remain dead, but rose again on the third day after His crucifixion! Death could not hold Him, as He was without sin. And so death will not be able to hold you, as you identify with Him fully through your trust in Him. Let go of yourself and confess Him as Lord of your life. The power of His death and resurrection will work in you all that your Creator has destined for you. You will truly enter a new life and experience that intimate union you have been seeking all of your life.

So ponder these words as you read here of this great God—Yahweh—and all that He has revealed to His creation. Let His Spirit testify to your heart that these words are true, that God is Love, and that He sent His Son so that you might receive the life that is unbound by time and space. As you feel that witness in your heart, simply believe and receive what He is offering to you, even now, and begin your new life as a child of God.

Please write to me and let me know when you take this step, as I will be your brother in Christ—we will be one in Him!